Improvement in devices for bracing car-pedestals



2Sheets-Sheet1. I 1. STEPHENSON.

Deices for*Braing,ar-Pedestals. N0. |50,Q08 Patented May l2, 11874.v

Fig. f1.

H HHIIIIIIIIII- UNITED. STATES PATENT Ormea.'

JOHN STEPHENSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FR @RACING CAR-PEDESTALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,908, dated May 12, 1874 application led January 14, 1874.

Cisa D D.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN STErHnNsoN, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsV in the Mode of Bracing Street-Oar Pedestals 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a detached view, in elevation, of the. runninggear of a street car having my improved mode of bracing applied thereto, the sill and connecting-bars being represented as broken off; and Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section of the same, taken centrally between the front and rear wheels. Figs. 3 and 4C represent detached sectional views of modied plans for attaching the ends of the stayrods to the sills of the car, and Fig. 5 a bottom view of a car having my improvements applied thereto.

My invention relates to a new and improved system of bracing the pedestals of street-cars, whichpfrom the nature of the forces exerted upon them, are liable to be thrust outward at the foot, and when thus thrust out prevent the axle-box from playing freely up and down between their jaws. This, as a necessary consequence, causes the car to ride roughly, and at the same time causes the jaws of the pedes tals and guides to the axle-box to wear rapidly away. It also causes the brass bearings of the journals to wear out of level, and to become quickly destroyed. In addition, and incident to these evils, the axle itself acquires much end play, which causes the concussions to become more violent, v'and thereby rapidly hastens and increases the troubles.

I am aware that systems of bracing the pedestals have heretofore been adopted, with a view of remedying these evils, but, so far as I know, without practical success. Of these, one plan is to run a side bar on each side of the car under .the foot of one pedestal to and under the foot of the other, and then connect ing these two side bars together by two other transverse bars, thus holding the two side bars and their connected pedestals to an ad` justed distance from each other; but this ar rangement, at best, is only a partial remedy, because the forcing out of the pedestals of one side of the car pulls the lpedestals on the opposite side of the car with them, and this process goes on from side to side with every lateral thrust of the axle, until their efficiency is so impaired that the car must be stopped for re- Y pairs. Another plan consists in using diagonal stays, the one end of which is secured to the foot of the pedestal and the other passed upward and inward to the floor-beam. This system, though an improvement on the former, is not suiii-` cieutly effective, not only because the proximity of the wheel prevents the stay from being passed sufficiently far under the car to at Y tain a good bracing position, but because the attachment of pedestaLbraces to the floor of the car is positively injurious, inasmuch as when the car is heavily loaded, and more especially when a crowd stands in the center of the door, the Hoor-timbers deiiect, and thereby loosens the stays. This tendency is rapidly increased by the incessant and powerful thrusts y cause the side bar to pass entirely across the under side of the axle-box, which is very in convenient, as in such case, whenever it is necessary to take the axle-box out of the pedestal, the whole system of bracing must first be removed, causing much trouble, as well in its removal as in its subsequent readjustment.

These evilsl are obviated by my improved system, which consists, first, in making the pedestals with a seat or lodgment for the end of the side bar, so arranged that the side bar will be entirely out of the way of the axle-box when being removed from the pedestal, the seat for this purpose being preferably arA ranged on the face or outside of the pedestal 5 secondly, in the use of a removable retainer for holding .the axle-box in place, in connection with the side or tie bars, which connect the pedestals on the same side of the car to-` gether, thirdly, in the use of two side bars, which extend to and connect the two pedestals on each side of the car; fourthly, in providing each side bar with bosses or enlargements, through each of which a hole is made of suitable size, and in a horizontal direction, for the reception of one end of a crossrstay, and which end is preferred to be made adjustable, by having a screw-thread cut thereon, and of a length sufficient lto receive a nut on each side of the bar, through the instrumentality of which the required adjustment may be made, and that end of the stay-rod firmly secured to the side bar, previous to which, however, the other or farther end ofthe cross-stays, after rising or inclining upward for the purpose, should be secured to the sill of the car-body in any suitable manner. By this plan a posiytive anchorage is given to the head of the cross-stay. This end secured to the sill, (and it may be done either directly or indireetly,) the nut on the otherend on the outside of the side bar is then screwed up to its place. The rod having, as before stated, through the inner nut, been iirst adjusted to the required degree 'of tension, cannot then lose its position, but, on the contrary, will afford a firm support to the pedestal against the outward thrusts ofthe axle. For this purpose that end of the cross-stay which is secured to the sill may be provided with a returned end or rising member, to rest, or rather bear, against the external face of the sill; or it may be let into the sill or other part of the frame-work beneath, so as to give to it a firm hold on the sill 5 or, instead of providing it with a rising member, a similar result may be obtained by indirect connection with the same through interposed metal or wood connections, Or yet another method may be adopted by cutting a screw-threadon the upperl end of the cross stay, and passing it through the sill, and then securing it thereto by means of a nut, in which case another nut may be placed on it on the inner side of the sill, in the same manner as the inner nut on its other end on the inside of the side bar; or it may be secured in any other suitable manner, so long as the drag onkthe stay is either directly or indirectly thrown upon that sill.

which is arranged on the opposite side ofthe car to the pedestals braced.

To enable others skilled in the art to make, construct, and use my inventioml will now proceed to describe its parts in detail, omit ting a particular description of' such parts of the car and its outfit as are unnecessary to a full understanding of my present improvements.

In the drawings, my improvement is repre sented as being applied to two different styles of pedestals, A lAf, the one style, A, having but two jaws, while the other, Af, has four, for the guidance andsupport of the axle-box. Each of these pedestals isprovided with a retainer or tie-plate, B,"for keeping' the aXle box C in position between the jaws a of the pedestal. These retainers are secured tolugs or lodgments b, formed on the face and lower ends of the pedestals, by screw bolts and nuts c. To the inner lug b of each pair of pedestals is secured one end of one of the ties or side bars D, it being first placed in position next the lug, and then the corresponding end of the retainer B arranged over it, and the two then secured to the lug by the screw bolt and nut c. By this arrangement the retainer B, whenever it is desired to'removev the aXleboX, may be detached from the lug I) at the one end and loosened at the other, and thus be allowed to drop down out of the way, leaving the box free to be removed and afterward replaced, without having to detach the side bars D and the cross-stays E, as in the old way of bracing the pedestals. The side bars D serve to 'brace or connect the pedestals on the same order to tighten or slacken the tension on the side bars, and is used in connection with two nuts, c and f-the one, e, on the inside of the vbar for regulating the length of the rod, and

the other, f, for tighteningor screwing the bar D up to it. The other end of each of the stay-rods E is secured, either directly or indirectly, to the sills F, but preferably as shown at g in Figs. l and 2; for which purpose that end g is enlarged'and 'upturned, lso as to elnbrace or clasp, as with the hand, the under and outer sides of the sills F or it may be secured as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but the former mode is deemed better; or it may be provided with a T-shaped end, and secured directly to the end of thev under side of the door-beam G, aswell as to the sill; or the floor-beam may be rigidly connectedto the sill F by means of suitable brace or' connecting' plates, andthe cross-stays then secured to it in any well-known and proper manner, and answer the same purpose, so long as the strain on the cross-stays is finally brought on the sills. By this means any outward thrustV or blow imparted to the pedestals will be counteracted by the support given to them through the side bars D and cross-braces E f'rom the sill `F on the opposite side of the car, thereby obviating all the troubles heretofore referred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tie or side bar, D, having holes to receive the ends of the cross-braces E, and ends to fit the seats in the'face of the pedestals,

and by which it may be secured to the latter by bolts in a horizontal position, substantially as set forth. I

2. Thecombination of the two pedestals of one side of a car with a side bar, D, and retainers B B, the latter being independently secured to their respectivepedestals, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

3.A The combination of the two pedestals of one side of a car, side bar D, and one or more cross-braces, E, with the sill F on the opposite side of the car, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the two pedestals of one side of a car With an adjustable brace or braces, E, side bar D, and the sill F on the opposite side of the car, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination ofthe pedestal With the side bar D, the joint of union being in a very tical plane, and the joint-bolt at right angles thereto, for convenience of observation and access, substantially as described.-

6. The combination of the pedestals and connecting-bar D of one side of a car and their brace or braces E and sill F ou the opposite side With the correspondingpedestals and their connecting-bar, brace or braces, and sill of the other side of the car, the Whole to operate in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

In testimonyr that I claim the foregoing; I haye hereunto set my hand this 23dday of December, 1873.

Witnesses: JOHN STEPHENSON.

JOHN S. PUGH, WILLIAM J. WALKER. 

